Burla is a town and a notified area committee in Sambalpur District in the state of Odisha, India. It is a small town on the banks of Mahanadi, and is 14 kilometers from Sambalpur. The communication for this town is excellent. One can reach this place by road with NH-6 from Sambalpur or Bargarh which is one of the more busier trunk routes in India (currently being converted into two-way) as it connects central India to Kolkata. And by train Hirakud station, which is at one end of the town and a walking distance from the Mahanadi Coal Limited (MCL).
Geography
Burla is located at 21°30 N 83°52 E. It has an average elevation of 173 meters (567 feet). The town lies at one end of Hirakud Dam which is located around 2 km west of the town. The Jawahar Minar offers picturesque views of the dam, the lake and the surrounding forests of Barapahad (12 hills). At the other side of the dam is the township of Hirakud.
Overview
Burla is situated in a half an hour distance from Sambalpur and 2 hours distance form Bargarh, which are connected by NH-6. Though a small town, it houses three leading institutions of Odisha: Sambalpur University and the Institute of Information technology (SUIIT), VSS Medical College and VSSUT (formerly called University College of Engineering-UCE). The town is horse-shoe shaped with an artificial lake in the middle and NH6 traversing through one end. The town centre is small and is divided into 'Kaccha Market' and 'Pukka Market' and hosts numerous small stores and stalls, which are mostly family based small business enterprises. The famous grocery stores are the 'Choudhry's' the 'Sindhi's', the 'Acharya's' and some famous wholesale stores like Narayan Saha's (For Poultry), Raghunath Agrawal (Pan Masala) and lots more. And the old world charm of 'Rambharose' snack joint serving hot samosas and jalebis underneath the banyan tree in the 'Kaccha Market' typically evokes the images of R K Narayan fictitious Malgudi.The town is bestowed with natural surrounding and beautiful jungle. The main dialect of people is Sambalpuri . Famous author Ravinder Singh is a native of Burla. Achutam is a native of Burla.
Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census,[2] Burla had a population of 39,188. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Burla has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 81% and female literacy of 66%. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Economy
The town's economy is driven by education, medicine, civil engineering, and electrical engineering. Veer Surendra Sai Medical College is the largest hospital in Western Odisha. Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology is the oldest engineering college in Odisha. Sambalpur University is one of the three oldest Universities in Odisha, the other two being Utkal University and Berhampur University. All these institutes of higher learning make Burla a top-tier destination for thousands of students every academic year.
The Hirakud Dam, which is the longest earthen dam in the world, caters to the hydro-electric power generation needs of the State. Numerous civil and electrical engineers reside in Burla. The town also headquarters Mahanadi Coal Fields Ltd., a subsidiary of Coal India Limited.
Education
The town is piquant and truly a university town as it hosts the Sambalpur University, the VSS Medical College and the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, besides numerous schools and colleges, thus the student population at the height of academic year is sizable. All three centres for higher learning have their own auditorium which are well equipped.
Sambalpur University is one of the older universities in the State and has numerous colleges under its jurisdiction. The 'University' as it is popularly known in the region has a magnificent campus within the rolling hills and is a community in itself. The university is popularly known as Jyoti Vihar the main tag line of the university is "SA Vidya Ja Vimuktaye" the meaning of the sentence is "That is education which liberate".
The VSS Medical College is one of the premier medical colleges of the state and is centrally located in the town. It houses the ICMR Malaria Research Centre.
University College of Engineering (UCE), is one of the oldest & finest Engineering Colleges in India. It celebrated its golden jubilee in 2006. A bill was passed in the State Assembly to make it a State Unitary University and it has been renamed as Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology. Notably this college has been a vast source for intellectual capital in Engineering Sector, both Public & Private.
nThe higher secondary (10+2) education is imparted by the Burla NAC College, the University Higher Secondary College and the DAV Public School. The town has numerous schools. The Burla Boys High School, the Burla Girls High School, the DAV, the Sathya Sai School, the University High School, Sri Aurobindo School, Saraswati Shisu Mandir, and the Officer's Colony upper primary (UP) and middle schools are prominent.
Various inter-institutional activities are organized among the educational institutions that enhances academic experience of members of the institutions in Burla. Burla has a thriving sports culture with several local cricket, football and badminton teams including those from the University, Medical College and the Engineering University. Annual sport tournaments are regular feature of the community.
Reproduced from Wikipedia
